Latest F1 news in brief – Tuesday (Update)
03/04/14
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Marko doubts the Red Bull lemon can ever catch up Marko not sure Red Bull can catch up
- Ecclestone admits bribe affair affecting F1 role
- Bottas plays down 2014 'fuel saving' fears
- Massa to be 'strong rival' in 2014 – Alonso
- Haas hopes for 2015 F1 entry decision soon
- Marussia 'competitive' in 2014 – Button
- Video: Ferrari pitstop perfection
- And you think Dietrich Mateschitz is rich
- Soccer match on March 16 To Clash With F1 Grand Prix
- Lotus F1 drivers disturbed by new power unit systems
- Vettel 'has contract until 2017' – Lauda New
Marko not sure Red Bull can catch up
(GMM) Dr Helmut Marko is not sure Red Bull will catch up its early-season deficit in 2014, after a disastrous start to its latest title defense.
Speaking to Red Bull's in-house Servus TV network, the always-blunt Austrian admitted the reigning world champion team is months behind its rivals.
"The season opener is coming at least two months too early for us," Marko said on the Sport und Talk program.
"We are not where we should be."
He said the biggest problem is that in the 12 days of pre-Melbourne testing in Spain and Bahrain, Red Bull turned significantly fewer laps than any other traditional rival.
"This is a very, very serious thing," said Marko.
"At the moment we do not know what (time) period we will need to catch up, or whether we will at all," he admitted.
However, it may not be all bad for Red Bull, as even pacesetters Mercedes are expecting reliability – not speed – to be perhaps the most important factor next weekend in Australia.
"I believe that half the field will not finish," said team chairman Niki Lauda, "simply because there has not been the opportunity for enough testing."
But, unfortunately for Red Bull, the Renault-powered RB10 is not just unreliable.
"The Red Bull does not look good," an experienced source, trackside in Bahrain last week, was quoted by Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.
"Nothing seemed right — the coordination of engine, gears and setup did not fit together. Sebastian (Vettel) was always sliding and spinning his wheels, while the Williams was like on rails," he added.
The car is also significantly slower in a straight line than its Ferrari and Mercedes-powered rivals, and Renault is taking some of the blame for that.
"Melbourne will be an anxious weekend," admitted technical boss Rob White.
"I hope we can support our teams and drivers to explore the performance of the car and allow the race to deliver its sporting verdict."
Ecclestone admits bribe affair affecting F1 role
(GMM) Bernie Ecclestone has hinted for the first time that he may need to voluntarily step back from running formula one.
Until now, the F1 chief executive has been resolute in the face of the bribery affair, insisting the sport's owners CVC support him unless he is found criminally guilty in a forthcoming trial.
"We don't have any changes planned at the moment," a CVC source told F1 business journalist Christian Sylt, writing in the Guardian.
"The board constantly reviews facts and circumstances and the current position is that no changes are planned."
But now, Ecclestone has been quoted as suggesting the affair is actually limiting his ability to run formula one effectively.
"I've been spending time on this (civil) case and to spend time on Munich I am not able to give what I normally would do, 24-7, to the business," he told the Financial Times.
"I've been looking, over the last few years, for somebody who can join me to assist with what I have to do.
"I will eventually be in a position, if I decide to retire – or unfortunately become dead – to have someone to step into my shoes," Ecclestone added.
However, it is believed the 83-year-old's Financial Times comments were made weeks ago, while Ecclestone told Sylt this week that the journalist "misunderstood him".
Sylt also asked Ecclestone if he will be able to continue to run F1 during the Munich trial, and the diminutive Briton answered "of course".
Bottas plays down 2014 'fuel saving' fears
(GMM) Valtteri Bottas has played down fears grands prix will become little more than fuel-saving affairs in F1's new 'green' era.
Each driver will be limited to just 100 kilograms of fuel per race in 2014, representing a significant reduction over the unrestricted V8 era.
"I don't think you'll hear much about drivers having to save their tires this year," Red Bull team boss Christian Horner told the Daily Mail, "but we might hear a lot about having to save fuel.
"My concern is that we will lose an element of wheel-to-wheel racing, of man and machine on the limit.
"Hopefully we won't see a driver having to wave rivals past because he is saving fuel to get to the checkered flag," he added.
Horner said he is worried F1's desire to be more environmentally relevant may adversely affect the sporting spectacle.
"It's a fine line," he said. "First and foremost, it's a sport and should be entertainment. Secondary to that should be the technology for the manufacturers."
Williams driver Bottas, however, did a full race simulation at the Bahrain test last week and said he did not have to try too hard to conserve fuel.
"I didn't have any problem," he told the Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat.
"I did some practice in the simulator at first and then in Bahrain I was able to do two race distances.
"The most important thing was to lose as little lap time as possible while ensuring you have the fuel you need for the whole race.
"I have to say that, at least for Bahrain, it was not really necessary to save fuel at all. I was able to drive quite normally.
"I think that at most of the races, we will be able to drive like this," Bottas added.
Massa to be 'strong rival' in 2014 – Alonso
(GMM) Fernando Alonso has tipped his departed Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa to be a "strong rival" in 2014.
After eight years in red, Brazilian Massa's move to the once-great British team Williams was seen as a clearly backwards step for the 11-time grand prix winner.
But after pre-season testing, Mercedes-powered Williams has emerged as one of the strongest forces for 2014, with Massa tipped as an outside chance for outright victory in Melbourne.
"I've talked with Felipe several times this year already," Spaniard Alonso is quoted by Brazil's Globo.
"He is happy, Williams has so much history in formula one and is not just any team, and they have had a very strong pre-season," he admitted.
"It is very positive because now they can be fighting. Felipe will definitely be a strong rival this year," added Alonso.
Alonso also played down the constant suggestions that both he and Ferrari will struggle to cope with his rivalry with Massa's 2014 replacement, fellow champion Kimi Raikkonen.
"We are trying to work together, working for Ferrari and arriving in Australia to fight for the race," Alonso said.
"So let's have this internal competition – normal in every team – because we all want to be ahead of the other one, and hopefully this can help Ferrari," he added.
Haas hopes for 2015 F1 entry decision soon
(GMM) Gene Haas is waiting to know if he will be let onto the F1 grid next year.
Actually, the FIA's decision about potential twelfth or thirteenth teams for the 2015 pitlane was scheduled for the end of last week.
But the governing body, having reportedly analyzed in detail applications from Californian Nascar team co-owner Gene Haas and Colin Kolles respectively, ultimately postponed its decision.
Auto Motor und Sport correspondent Michael Schmidt said the delay is because F1's commercial rights holders, headed by chief executive Bernie Ecclestone, are yet to fully analyze the prospective new teams' projects.
"Only when Ecclestone gives his approval will the applications be accepted," he said.
It is here that hopes may be dashed, after Ecclestone said the likelihood of Haas securing a 2015 entry is "most unlikely".
"He (Ecclestone) doesn't think we will get the license, so my chances probably aren't that great of a shot," Haas said late in January.
But since then, 61-year-old Haas – who owns the successful machine tool manufacturer CNC and also the Wind Shear wind tunnel – has met in Paris to discuss his project with FIA officials.
Haas said the FIA wanted to know "What we wanted to accomplish, how we will pay for it and what our logistics are to do it".
The governing body then "told us last Friday that the (final) decision will only come later on", Haas is quoted as saying by Speed Week.
"I think they take the information, evaluate it, make their recommendations and the process goes on.
"They didn't give us an exact date, but hopefully it will be in a week or two," he added.
Marussia 'competitive' in 2014 – Button
(GMM) Jenson Button has tipped usual F1 backmarker Marussia to take a big step forwards in 2014.
Yet to score a single point in its Marussia or Virgin guises since 2010, the team did finally beat rival Caterham to the coveted tenth place in the constructors' championship last year.
And in pre-season testing ahead of the 2014 season, Marussia's new MR03 – powered by a Ferrari 'power unit' for the first time – looks considerably quicker than Caterham's struggling Renault-powered machine.
McLaren driver Button is quoted by Brazil's Totalrace: "It's interesting to see how some teams have improved their cars suddenly.
"There are several teams that are strong at the moment," he added. "Even Marussia — their car is much better than last year.
"I think people will be surprised at how they are actually competitive," said Button.
Video: Ferrari pitstop perfection
And you think Dietrich Mateschitz is rich
Formula 1 is an expensive business but the sport sometimes forgets that there is a staggering amount of money in the world. Forbes magazine does its best to keep up with it all, and for the last 28 years has been producing a list of the world’s richest people, based on what they can discover in published sources. It is by no means an exhaustive list. Many rich people hide their money very successfully. However it is a good indication of the trends. It is worth noting this year that Forbes reckons that there are now 1,645 billionaires. The real number is probably double that. Scarily, you now need $17.3 billion to get into the 50 on the Forbes list.
As usual the United States dominates the list with 492 billionaires, while Europe as a whole boasts 468. There are 444 in the Asia Pacific region. When it comes to individual countries China is now the second ranked country with 152 billionaires, followed by Russia with 111.
The Forbes list is headed this year by Bill Gates of Microsoft, who is reckoned to be worth $76 billion, four more than Mexico’s Slim Family. It is sobering to note that Red Bull magnate Dietrich Mateschitz is only 136th on the list, despite a fortune of $9.2 billion, while Bernie Ecclestone is 354th with a fortune estimated at $4.2 billion.
One of the reasons that rich people are so rich is that they do not give away their money, but the list is a good starting point for those trying to raise cash for the sport. Joe Saward
Soccer match on March 16 To Clash With F1 Grand Prix
Any chance A-League side Melbourne Heart might have of "capitalizing on its barnstorming run by drawing a big crowd to its next home match has been stymied" by Football Federation Australia scheduling that "pits the club against one of the biggest sports events of the year" — the F1 Grand Prix in Melbourne, according to Michael Lynch of THE AGE. Heart had a gate of "close to 26,000 for its home derby against Melbourne Victory." Given Heart's "push for the finals and tremendous form it would have hoped to have built its following for the next home game against Wellington Phoenix on March 16." Or "it would if the FFA had moved the game." The FFA, however, was "reluctant to do so, and the match will kick off at 4pm that day — just an hour before Australia's F1 race starts." A Heart spokesperson said, "We saw that potential clash when the fixtures came out and asked them to move it, but they said it wasn't possible." The Age
Lotus F1 drivers disturbed by new power unit systems
Inconsistencies from the new Renault energy recovery systems are “disturbing" Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado.
2014's regulations see increased energy recovery to such an extent that the new brake-by-wire systems are designed to help stabilize the car while energy is harvested under braking. However, the systems are complex and the lack of running that Lotus has endured due to issues with the Renault power unit is having a knock-on effect to other areas of the car, affecting driver confidence.
Lotus technical director Nick Chester believes the E22 is a strong car but explained why it will take so long for the team to get anywhere near its maximum potential.
“With the chassis itself the level of grip isn't too bad, even though we've lost a little bit of downforce," Chester said. “The biggest problems are how the chassis works with the power unit and how the energy recovery system works. So there are some inconsistencies there which are making it very difficult for the driver to predict what he is going to get when he arrives at the corner.
“So the system is not doing exactly the same thing every time and that is disturbing the driver and losing us a lot of time."
And Chester admits Renault has not been able to put a timeframe on how long it may take to get the power unit and its associated systems working consistently.
“There are no fixed timescales. They are working very hard on it. I'm sure when they gather all the information after [the final] test for what has happened with all the teams we'll get another update of what is happening for Melbourne." Crash.net
Vettel 'has contract until 2017' – Lauda
(GMM) Sebastian Vettel may have quietly added another two years to his existing Red Bull contract.
Last year, whilst already tied to the Austrian squad for 2014, it was announced that the German had extended his deal to also include the 2015 season.
"Hopefully the relationship will go beyond 2015, which is already some way into the future," team boss Christian Horner said at the time.
Now, despite the depth of Red Bull's early-2014 technical crisis, it appears that 26-year-old Vettel may indeed have stretched his tenure with the Milton Keynes based team even further.
The news emerged as Austrians Dr Helmut Marko, the Red Bull director, and Mercedes' Niki Lauda light-heartedly discussed the future during Monday's Sport und Talk program on Servus TV.
Marko jokingly revealed that team chairman Lauda is keen to lure Vettel and car designer Adrian Newey to Mercedes.
"Niki comes every day and asks if Newey and Sebastian will go," he said.
Lauda replied: "But you always tell me that Newey and Sebastian have contracts until 2017."
"Right," confirmed Marko. "So why do you keep coming every day?"
Lauda beamed: "Breakfast!"
Whether the references to 2017 revealed some impending announcements, or were simply a joke between Austrian friends and rivals, is unclear.